Expert fishers that live by bodies of water globally, ospreys are the only raptor that submerges themselves into the water to hunt. When they surface, they’re capable of carrying fish weighing as heavy as even the bird’s own body. This is ordinarily a difficult, if not nearly impossible, task to achieve for birds; to achieve it, ospreys’ wings have a unique adaptation. Unlike hawks’ and eagles’ straight wings, ospreys have a crook in their wings, helping generate the powerful vertical lift necessary to catch fish. Additionally, the large wingspan, especially the long feathers, contributes to creating a powerful wing beat that lifts them out of the water.

Additionally, like most other birds, ospreys have lightweight yet strong pneumatic bones. They are essentially hollow; they’re filled with air spaces or cavities rather than marrow or solid bone. This is perfect for flying with large wings, which ordinarily would weigh down the bird and cause drag, impeding its flight. Mimicking the internal structure of these pneumatic bones in real materials creates extremely lightweight yet strong materials that can be utilized in technologies, such as planes.